Professional Development Plan

The assignment consists of an individual plan for continued professional skill development. The intent of this assignment is self-awareness, planning, action, and reflection on your professional skills. Your professional development plan should be approximately 5–7 pages, double-spaced, and include at least three sources to support your arguments.

1.Introduction:

Discuss why you are interested in pursuing a degree in business.

What major are you most interested in and why?

What would be your ideal job upon graduation?

Try to provide more than just a surface-level discussion—do some serious self-assessment here.

2.Industry Skills Requirements:

What specific skills are needed for the job or career field of your choice?

3.Individual Development Needs:

Choose ONE of the skills that is important in your field and that you feel you need to improve, and answer the following:

Why have I identified this skill as one I would like to grow in?

What knowledge/competency do I currently have in this skill area?

How have I already developed this skill through this course and other opportunities?

How will this skill contribute to my personal success?

4.Action Plan:

Create a table that shows how you will go about gaining experience and knowledge in this one skill area for each of the following time frames: this semester, in the next 6 months, and by the time you graduate. For each time frame:

List some resources/activities (specific classes both in and out of business, workshops, events, work experiences, online tutorials, readings, etc.) you will use or engage in to advance your skills in this area.

Describe how you will assess whether these resources/activities have increased your capabilities.

Below is an example of what your Action Plan should look like. Copy the headings on the side and top but put your own bullet points into the gray areas. You should have at least three items

5.Workplace Values and Career Fit:

Developing skills that make you attractive to organizations is an important aspect of professional development, but knowing how to assess a job or organization to see if it is worth your consideration is also important. For this section think about your values and determine if a job or organization would be a good “fit” for you based on those values. (As you complete this section please refer to the required readings on cultural fit posted on Blackboard.)

In this section:

Identify your top five core values

Show how these values fit into your 3 selected workplaces

6.Reflection:

Describe what you have learned from doing this professional development plan and how you will apply this knowledge to be successful in school and in the workplace.

Did you accomplish the things you planned to do during this semester? Why or why not?

What challenges might arise in the future as you execute your action plan?

What is your backup plan?

Why is cultural fit important in the job search process?

How can organizations ensure they are hiring for cultural fit while also building a diverse workforce?

Be sure to specify where your evidence came from by including in-text citations and an APA-format reference list at the end of your paper.